Catalan nationalism

Catalan nationalism is the nationalist ideology that asserts that Catalans are a nation and promotes the independence of Catalonia from Spain. The movement began in 1922 under Francesc Macia, a pro-independence activist; several pro-independence groupings formed the Republican Left of Catalonia party on 19 March 1931. From 1938 to 1975, during Francisco Franco's dictatorial rule in Spain, Catalan autonomy was revoked, and the Catalan parties that returned to power in the aftermath of the restoration of democracy mostly focused on autonomy instead of independence. From 2009 to 2011, however, 550 municipalities held referendums on independence in response to a debate over the validity of Catalan autonomy, and the movement gained support during the 2010s, with several major Catalan parties supporting an independence referendum.